Stretcher.



D. HERL.

STRETCHER. APPLICATION FILED` Dic. s. 1911.

Patented May 28, 11918.

FIG. 1.

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" Application led December 8, 1917. Serial 1to.`206,192.

To'aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that lf, DRAGUTIN HERL, a-

subject of the King of Hungary, residing at La Salle, in the county of Niagara and State of'New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stretchers, of which the following is a specilication.

rllhis invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in strctchers.

r1`he primary obj ect of the invention is the provision of av stretcher especially adapted for army use which may be readilyv folded into compactl arrangement when not desired for use while the same is readily arranged for supporting a person to be carried thereon whenever needed.' 'A further object of the device is the provision ofl a foldable stretcher having locking means for the supportable portions thereof resiliently maintained in their normal arrangement and readily released by the persons carrying the stretcher when desired to compactly fold the same. y A still further object of the device is the provision of a stretcher that is v light in Weight, easy and inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time possesses great strength and durability, the structure being adapted for folding and for locking in its unfolded arrangement when required for use.

. In the drawing forming a part of this application and which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, y

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the stretcher arranged for use. C

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view of the device when folded.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the folding side rails of the device taken upon line lV-li-V of Fig. 2 illustrat-v A ing @the locking ineans.

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken upon V-V of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view of one of the locking braces showing the locking means therefor.

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llt being understood that the device is ladapted as a stretcher for general use, thesame broadly consists of opposite holding side rails 10 connected together by folding braces ll-thereby arranging a rectangular frame when the rails and braces are'un-A folded adapted for receiving a supporting fabric 12 for receiving a person thereon, the

devicebeing readily carried by spaced handles 13 at the opposite ends of the rails 10.

A locking rod 14 is slidably arranged axii's normally maintained projected, extending in advance of the end face 20 of the carrying rail section 15.

A keeper or socket 21 is arranged in the inner. end of the adjacent rail section 15 in alinement with the bore 17 when the two' rail sections are -unfolded and whereby -the bolts 16 will be received within the keeper 21 with substantially one half of the bolt remaining with the bore 17. A cross pin 22 is arranged through the outer-end of each -rod 14 slidably arranged longitudinally of the rail section 15 within which thel rod is mounted, and a slot 23 being provided in the handle portion 13 of each rod for the accommodation of one of the pins 22. lA sliding button 24 is arranged upon each end of each pin 22 flatly engaging the adjacent sides of the handles 13 and whereby the buttons 24 may be readily grasped and pulled toward the free ends of the handles 13 for releasing the bolts 16 from the keepers 21 permitting the rail sections 15 to be folded uponthe connecting hinges 25 thereof.I The operating ends of the rods 14 being posltioned 'at only one end of the stretcher, it will be seen that the man stationed at that end of the stretcher fory carrying the'same readily controls the folding of the side rails 10. en the side rails have been folded and it is desired to open the device, it is only necessary to bring the rail sections 15 into alinement with each other and the bolts 16 will automatically drop into the keepers 21 being re Vroe* tained therein by the springs 18 until manually released by means of the buttons24 in the manner hereinbefore described.' v

The braces 11 are formed of separate sections 26 foldably connected l together by means of hinges 27 and attached to the siderail sections 15 by means of hinges 28. Une of the brace sections 26` is arranged with a chamber 29 having a bolt 30therein normally projected by means of a spring 31 into a keeper or socket 32 carried by the adj acentw 1F10.`

end of the coperating brace section 26. An operating pin 33 is'carried by the bolt 30 having anger plate 34 and 1t will be apparent that when the bolt is projected into the keeper 32with the sections 26 of the brace outstretched, the sections 26 thereof will be prevented from foldingupon. their hinge 27 while the bolt 30 may be readily retracted by means of the plate 34.

When the stretcher is assembled as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the buttons 24 may be moved outwardly and the bolts 16 retracted from the keeper 21, permitting thev rail sections to be folded upon their hinges while the'bolts 30 being retracted from their keepers 32 by slidab y moving the-plates 34, the braces 11 are readily folded, arranging the entire device in compact formation as illustrated in Fig. 3. A serviceable stretcher 1s arranged for carrying an injured person upon the supporting fabric 12, the device being grasped and transferred Aby means of the handles 13 and presenting4 va strong and serviceable arrangement.

What I claim as new is -l 1.' A stretcher comprising side rails formed in sections hingedly connected together at their inner ends, transverse braces hinged .to the side rails and formed of hingedly connected sections, locking means slidably carried by the rail sections at' one end of the stretcher adapted for normally projecting beyond the hinging' point thereof, receiving v side rails formed of two sections o keepers for said locking means carried by the inner ends of the side rail sections at the opposite end of the stretcher, transverse slots being formed in the rail sections in which the locking means are arranged, cross pins carried by said locking means Within said slots and sliding buttons carried byl the opposite ends of the pins contacting the opposite sides of the lock carrying rail sections. v

2. A foldable stretcher including opposite equal length with handle portions at their free ends, a longitudinal bore in one of said sections and a keeper recess in the other section i of said rod projects, a cross pin carried by said rod within said .slot and sliding buttons upon the opposite ends of the pin flatlyl engaging the opposite sides of the handle portion of the section adjacent the open ends of the slot. v

In testimony whereof I aiix my si l ature.

DRAGUTIN ERL. 

